Donald Trump not only refuses to walk back his characterization of Mexican immigrants as rapists and drug dealers, he insists he’ll win the Latino vote. But perhaps in a Freudian slip, Trump called them “Hispinic.”

In a 15-minute-plus interview with Sean Hannity, Trump brushed off rumors that RNC chair Reince Priebus told him to “tone it down” during a phone call earlier in the day. “Not at all,” Trump claimed. “He really called to congratulate me on being number one in a lot of polls.”

Hannity asked Trump if he had a “do over,” would he have phrased his now-infamous comments about Mexicans differently. “Would you have said there are a lot of good people that come here because they want hope and opportunity, because we’re a great country… in other words, would you reverse it?” Hannity asked.

No, Trump wouldn’t. Even though he loves Mexicans and has lots of Mexican friends.

TRUMP: I’m talking about the country of Mexico. They are sending us their criminals. We’re not talking about the good people. The good people come and they’re great people. They’re better than good people. I love the Mexican people. They have tremendous spirit. They have tremendous vibrance and life. I love them. I have so many friends. I respect the country of Mexico.

The problem is the country of Mexico. The leadership is much smarter than our leadership. They are killing us in terms of jobs and economic development and they’re killing us at the border.

…They’re sending us criminals. In other words, instead of putting them in their jails, they’re sending them to us. They’re sending us drug dealers and people that have lots of other problems and they’re sending them over here because they say, “Why should we do this? Why should we take care of the prisoners? We’ll send them over." And that’s what I meant.

When people figure it out, everybody says, "Ohhh, that’s so obvious." Can it be any more obvious?

Trump also took a hilarious, unintentionally ironic swipe at Bernie Sanders: “Who would have thought this was going to happen with Bernie Sanders? You looked at him, you say how does this guy end up like he’s ending up?” Trump - the guy whom Jon Stewart described as "a circus peanut wearing a badger" - sneered.

Trump would not say that if he doesn’t win the nomination, he’d support the candidate. “I have to see who wins,” he said, before deciding whether or not he’ll mount a third party candidacy. “Everyone wants me to do that. I have had so many people wanting me to do that,” he boasted.

Still, Trump thinks it would be better not to go that route.

TRUMP: Our best chance of defeating the Democrats and getting this country going again is if I win the Republican nomination. I will beat Hillary Clinton. And one other thing: I will win the Latino vote. I will win the Hispinic (sic) because I’m going to put ‘em to work. I am going to put people back to work. I’m gonna win that vote. I have thousands of people working for me right now, Hispanics, working for me. I will win that vote because I’m gonna get jobs for people.

Sure he will. Right after he releases the details of that birther investigation in Hawaii he conducted a few years back.

Let’s not forget that four years ago Michele Bachmann was ahead in the polls for the R’s.

While they know Trump’s comments are not helpful they also know they are walking a tightrope without a safety net below if they upset those who agree with him and feel any form of compromise is a sign of weakness that can tear apart the party as the Frankenstein monster they created is turning on its creator.

Maybe what the R’s fear most is Trump running as an Independent taking away many votes from their nominee. He can have Sarah Palin as a running mate since no one wants to play tea party with her anymore.

Yeah, The Donald’s mouth is keeping the Fox News bucket brigade busy mopping up all the messes. The “Fox And Friends” curvy couch crowd looked like those guys with buckets and brooms following circus elephants yesterday by running multiple segments wallpapering Trump’s many idiotic and bigoted statements with a wallpaper pattern of unicorns and lollipops.